1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the improvement of measurement systems in which samples such as living cells arranged in a two-dimensional array are measured.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a configuration drawing indicating the essential parts of an example of conventional measurement systems of this type.
In FIG. 1, concave parts 2 are provided in a two-dimensional array on micro titer plate 1 made of a transparent material or materials, and solutions containing samples such as living cells are put in these concave parts.
The exciting light beam from light source 3 is made parallel with lens 4, reflected by dichroic mirror 5, and incident to objective lens 6. The exciting light which is stopped down with objective lens 6 irradiates a sample in one of the concave parts 2 of micro titer plate 1. Fluorescence generated from the sample due to excitation by the exciting light is transmitted through dichroic mirror 5 after passing through objective lens 6 and is reflected by reflection mirror 7 and incident to imaging lens 8. The light that has been transmitted through lens 8 hits the image detecting plane of camera 9 and the sample image is formed here.
When each sample in each of concave parts 2 is to be observed by scanning them, images of each sample are obtained in turn by moving micro titer plate 1 in the horizontal direction (in the figure, back and forth and in the right and left direction on the paper surface) with a mechanism not shown in FIG. 1, without moving the optical system. Such a system is very useful, for example, to measure reactions of various living cells to pharmaceuticals.
In order to increase the speed of such a system, the micro titer plate must be moved rapidly. In this case, there are the following problems:    (1) Solutions may slosh out of the concave parts as shown in FIG. 2.    (2) It is not easy to move micro titer plate 1 because it is large and has a great inertial force.